The Dyslexia Benefits

Speaker: Professor John Stein

Tania on 12/01/2010 It's great to see someone with authirity emphasising the dyslexia benefits. I have dyslexia and definitley notice the benefits all the time. It's important for children to know about dyslexia benefits as thety grow up.

About this talk: Professor John Stein describes how the presence of the dyslexic gene can be an advantage and how people benefit from dyslexia. The ability to make holistic connections are benefits that arise as a result of the impairment to magnocells that are important for reading.

About the speaker: John Stein is a professor of neuroscience in Oxford University Medical School. He is particularly interested in the auditory and visual perceptual impairments suffered by dyslexic children.

Further information about this Talk

Key Points Covered in This Talk:

The fact that dyslexia genes still remains in so many people means that there must be an advantage and benefit to having these genes for some people. You find so many dyslexics who are very good at the arts, computer programming, engineering and things that involve seeing relationships over a wide distance and making holistic connections. These holistic talents are things that these genes seem to provide. The reason for this is that during development these magnocells (which are important for the sequential hearing or visual processes) are impaired, this gives other cells that are always in competition with them a head start. The other cells that are important for seeing whole static views are actually stronger in dyslexics than in good readers. Therefore there are benefits of dyslexia.

Download Podcast

What to Watch Next

What is Dyslexia?: In this talk Jane Emerson provides an introduction to dyslexia. She gives an insightful view as to the causes, symptoms and effects of dyslexia.

What Causes Dyslexia?: Professor John Stein outlines the causes of dyslexia. He describes the genetic background to dyslexia and how nutrition and the immune system contribute to auditory and visual attention difficulties.

Dyslexia: Disability or Gift?: Richard Whitehead outlines ways in which dyslexia can be an advantage. He questions some of the commonly held perceptions about dyslexia and its impact.